ONS data reveals the average wage for people in St Helens

Looking into annual salaries, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that people across the UK have an average gross income of £33,402.

The median wage for workers, classified as the middle number of all salaries and less affected by high earners, is £27,756.

This includes all workers aged 16 or above on full-time or part-time contracts.

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Local and regional income data

In St Helens, the ONS report that there are 56,000 people in employment across the borough.

Including people on both full-time and part-time contracts, St Helens has an average yearly income (mean) of £31,954, compared to the national average of £33,402.

The median wage, which is the middle number of all salaries is £27,545 a year in St Helens - compared to the national median of £27,756.

For men across the borough, the average yearly wage is £39,421 while women's average salary is £23,029 a year.

Full-time employees have an average salary of £37,589 while part-time workers earn around £13,871 a year.

This graphic is for median wages across the UK, which the ONS prefers due to it being less affected by high earners.

Average incomes from neighbouring areas

Including all workers, the average salary in St Helens is higher than the average across the North West of £30,248. The median income in the North West is £26,121.

Neighbouring town Wigan has around 121,000 people in employment, and has an average yearly income of £28,537. Wigan's median income is £25,329.

With around 76,000 people in employment, Warrington has an average yearly income of £32,912. Warrington's median income is £27,750.

Liverpool has around 135,000 people in jobs and has an average yearly income of £29,159. Liverpool's median income is £26,303.

Blackpool has the lowest average income across the North West at £23,410, with around 42,000 people in jobs. Blackpool's median income is £21,771.

The majority of low earners were aged between 16 and 21, working in jobs such as the accommodation and food industries, and in elementary or routine occupations.

Differences in incomes across St Helens Borough

Average incomes differ across St Helens, with some neighbourhoods classed as being in the most deprived in the country (Image: St Helens Council)

While St Helens' average income is closer to the national average than many areas across the North West, inevitably there is variation in this figure and some residents will be on the lower end of the spectrum.

With concerns over health and income inequalities across St Helens, the ONS concluded that 55.8% of households were deprived in at least one dimension as part of the 2021 Census report, higher than the average across England and Wales​ of 51.7%. 

Highlighting low incomes and poor health for some communities in St Helens, the government's Indices of Deprivation in 2019 classified the borough as the 26th most deprived area in the country.

This is out of 317 local authorities across the UK.

Of the 119 neighbourhoods in St Helens, 47 were ranked as being in the 20 per cent most income deprived in England.

29 neighbourhoods were classed as being in the 10 per cent most deprived.

Areas in St Helens with the highest deprivation rates

1.  Derbyshire Hill – 67.7% of households here were deprived in at least one dimension at the time of the 2021 census, down from 73.5% in 2011
2. Town Centre West – 66.2%, falling from 68.8% in 2011
3. Broad Oak – 65.8%, a drop from 74.7% in 2011
4. Thatto Heath – 65.3%(no data available for 2011)
5. Town Centre East and Fingerpost – 64.4%, down from 74.2% in 2011

These figures are characterised as having households with at least one "deprivation dimension".

This is characterised as having members of households who are unemployed or on long-term sick, or containing people with less than five GCSE passes or equivalent qualifications.

Other dimensions include residents living in households with poor or long-term health problems, and if a household's accommodation is either overcrowded, a shared dwelling, or has no central heating.